This morning, as I was getting my ass kicked by my trainer, he casually dropped a bomb on me that I didn’t expect. “So… You’ve been the mayor of 99 Cent Pizza for quite a while, huh? Ever think about giving that mayorship up?” As I was removing the weight that I dropped on my foot in surprise, I was shocked to find out that my trainer was following me on FourSquare. He knew I was not only the mayor of 99 Cent Pizza, but of Claudio’s Pizza, as well. I could have SWORN I’d blocked him. Whoops. The rest of my workout was spent lifting in shame. I had no idea that he knew I was on FourSquare, or [...]

About a year ago, I wrote a blog post called “Why you need to get up earlier, and how to do it“. It became an instant popular post, with tons of linkage and referrals from people around the world who were all like “I’m going to get up earlier! This is what I’m going to do!” Cool. Glad it helped, and the basic rules in it still apply. (Use the bedroom for sleeping and sex only, drink a huge glass of water the second you wake up…) etc. Over the past year, however, I learned something really, really interesting, just from my own experience: The type of bed on which you sleep plays a huge part in how well you [...]

Today, I am simply NOT Mary F’ing Sunshine. One of the joys of running a small business (or having any kind of job, really) is that usually, you really like it. “Usually,” however, is the clutch. There are days when you just won’t like it. You’ll be in a shitty mood, either from work or something else, yet you still have to go in and smile like you’re the happiest person in the world, not a thing bothers you, and life is just a bowl of ripe, freaking peaches. See the problem? I’m having one of those days now. It’s a fun little combination of things. A fight with the fiancé. A bad workout, coupled with a trainer who weighs about [...]

When I boarded my flight Wednesday morning from Denver to Houston to connect to a flight to Asheville for my speech on Thursday, I tweeted out a question. I said “I’ve got roughly five hours in the air today. How can I help you? You’ve got 45 minutes to respond.” And people did! So briefly, here’s what people asked, and my answers: @andreahrizk said that she needs exposure about a shortage of interactive talent in the advertising industry, and included a link: http://imediaconnection.com/content/28737.asp – I think she has a point – Small interactive ad shops can’t offer the same “possibility of instant riches” that tech startups, whether they be in a basement or in the Google offices, can. As such, [...]

It happens to all of us. We’re up against a deadline, and have zero creativity. It’s just gone. No idea why. And finding it again, under pressure, is a bitch. This is another post in the series of How To Be Taken Seriously. Because, face it – If you become the guy known for having creativity whenever it’s needed, you’ll be the go-to guy (or girl) for almost everyone in your company. And being indispensable kinda rocks. Ever notice how some things are really easy to find? “Now where did I put my car keys? Ah yes, in my coat pocket.” “Honey, where’s the dog?” “He’s in the backyard!” Other things, as well! “Officer, can you tell me how to [...]